Fireflies
by Orangest Blossom
Summary: Jade's life in three days. Written for 7 days of Vic prompts. Cade friendship, mentions of Bade. T for slight language and mentions of alcoholism, partying, etc.


Seven-year-old Jade  
>Was a dreamer.<p>

(She doesn't look like the type, does she?

She loved her parents  
>And her best friend Cat,<br>Who went to Kindergarten with her  
>(And now they went to the same elementary school!)<p>

But her favorite person  
>In the whole, whole world,<br>Was her Aunt Mara.

Mara was different.  
>(She was her mom's sister.)<br>She had a lot of money  
>And a lot of boyfriends<br>And loved to travel  
>(And party.)<p>

Jade's dad didn't like her...  
>He thought she was a- what was it?<br>"Negative influence."

But Jade loved her.

"Come on, Jadey," she'd say,  
>"Look at the stars with me."<p>

Jade loved the cool, crisp mid-November air  
>She loved how bright the stars were<br>In Mara's little town.

The view of the sky was so pretty  
>From the hill in her aunt's backyard.<p>

"I love the stars, Jade...  
>You know, my dad<br>Used to show me the constellations?  
>Those are like pictures you can find in the sky."<br>Aunt Mara pointed up.  
>"That one's Hercules.<br>He's very strong.  
>There's Cygnus, the swan..."<p>

Jade tried to follow her aunt's hand.  
>She wanted to see the pictures, too.<br>"Your daddy showed you these?  
>Mine doesn't."<p>

"I'll believe that," her aunt snorted.  
>Jade frowned.<br>"He's very serious, isn't he?  
>Strictly business."<p>

"Not much time for family," Jade murmured,  
>Looking down at her hands.<p>

"I guess not," Mara sighed.  
>"Always working, isn't he?"<p>

"Yep..."

Mara frowned.  
>Abruptly she switched topics.<p>

"You know what my name means, Jadey?"

Jade shook her head.

"Mara means bitter-  
>That's like angry.<br>I try not to be too much like my name.  
>Your father works hard,<br>And, I promise,  
>He loves you."<p>

Jade shrugged-  
>Because hadn't Daddy forgotten her<br>At kindergarten last year?  
>Weren't he and Mom always fighting?<br>Didn't he always stay late at work?

"He does," Mara said definitely.  
>"He loves you and your mom very much."<br>Then, changing the subject,  
>"Oh, look- fireflies!"<p>

Jade lifted her head  
>To gaze, bewildered,<br>At the hundreds of little lights  
>Flying around her head.<p>

"You don't have those in Los Angeles,  
>Do you?" Aunt Mara said proudly.<p>

"What are they?" Jade said, still in awe.

"They're little beetles,  
>With pretty lights on the end.<br>Look-"  
>She caught one easily out of the air.<p>

Jade stared, astonished.

"They're harmless, I promise.  
>Aren't they nice? Here, you hold-"<br>Aunt Mara passed it carefully to Jade,  
>Who admired the little light<br>That was encased in her hand.

"Cooool," she whispered.

"Tell you what-  
>I'll get a jar,<br>Then we'll see how many we can catch."

That night,  
>They caught 47 fireflies<br>All on their own.  
>Jade loved catching them<br>And staring through the glass in the jar,  
>But her favorite part was setting them free.<p>

"Ready, Jade?  
>One, two, three..."<br>And they unscrewed the lid.

All at once,  
>All the little bugs flew out,<br>Like a million tiny arrows  
>From a million tiny bows,<br>Their bright tails  
>Making the air around them glow,<br>Shooting straight up  
>Towards the night sky.<br>-

Skip ahead a few years.

Jade was thirteen now.  
>Her parents had been divorced for five years,<br>Her dad remarried for three and a half,  
>And her little half-brother Charlie<br>Had just turned two...  
>And too much partying,<br>Too much drinking  
>Had taken her Aunt Mara's life<br>Just six days ago.

Jade was at her funeral now.

She didn't cry.

(She wasn't sure she could,  
>She hadn't for years.)<p>

Instead, she just sort of stared at the coffin  
>Which was already nailed shut.<br>Not many people were there...  
>Jade's Uncle Richard,<br>Her cousin Alexa, who was four,  
>Her great-aunt Margot...<p>

(Her mother had stopped by  
>For about twenty minutes<br>Then left.)

Her dad actually pulled her aside.

(Jade had asked for the ride from him,  
>But was surprised he'd stayed.)<p>

"You sure you don't just want to go?  
>I have a meeting at four..."<p>

(She didn't know what she expected.)

Refusing to look at her father,  
>Jade chose to keep staring<br>At the closed casket instead  
>"I happened to like her."<p>

Her father sighed impatiently.  
>"She's just too much like your mother,<br>And in the end it got the best of her.  
>A bit too much of a free spirit,<br>A little too wild..."

Jade laughed bitterly.  
>"Too hard for you to control, you mean.<br>Definitely not the kind of people  
>You'd want your colleagues<br>To know you're related to."  
>Her lips twisted into an odd grin.<br>"Just like me, right, Dad?"

She walked away,  
>Hoping to find some food<br>In this goddamned funeral home...

(If she had to spend another minute  
>In the same room of that coffin<br>She'd either scream  
>Or break down<br>And neither was an option.)

It was sophomore year now  
>And there had been another painful split...<p>

But no,  
>This time it had been Cat<br>Who had a broken heart.

She texted Jade  
>About seven times<br>That her three-month boyfriend Justin  
>Had ditched her at Nozu<br>For some blond chick  
>Whose chest was bigger than Cat's head.<p>

Jade's phone was charging,  
>And she had no idea about Cat's predicament.<br>Until about an hour late.

She was about to text her  
>When her phone rang<br>And guess who it was-

"Oh my gosh, Jade,  
>He just ditched me<br>For this girl  
>Right when I was about<br>To suggest we become exclusive...  
>I j-just-"<p>

"Cat.  
>Okay, calm down...<br>Cat. CAT.  
>Listen-<br>Ugh...  
>Look, do you wanna come over?"<br>Jade spoke without thinking  
>(She was actually planning<br>On going over to Beck's that night...)  
>But still,<br>She wasn't about to take it back  
>Since Cat was crying so hard.<p>

And so  
>Cat came over<br>And they watched some pathetic chick flick  
>And ate popcorn, disregarding calories<br>And cried  
>(Or, Cat did.)<p>

"Feel better?" Jade asked  
>As they watched Cher catch the bouquet.<p>

"Nooooo," Cat sighed.  
>"I just wish...<br>I feel like crap, Jade.  
>And this blonde<br>Who has a better chance at happiness than me  
>Isn't helping!"<br>Jade wasn't sure  
>Is she was talking about<br>The chick she was ditched for  
>Or the girl in the movie,<br>But either way  
>Cat broke down again<br>(She'd never taken loss too well.)

Jade sighed.  
>She was never good with crying people<br>Or upset people  
>Or people at all,<br>Not since she was at least-  
>Six? Seven?<br>Aunt Mara's death  
>Had sort of taken that out of her.<p>

It was with that thought in mind  
>That Jade stood<br>Turned off the TV  
>And dragged Cat onto her feet.<p>

"What?" Cat sighed.

"I get that  
>Some boy was a jerk.<br>But there is no way in hell  
>That I'm letting you sulk around<br>Because of some grade-A butthole  
>That definitely doesn't deserve you.<br>We're going to the roof."

"What's on the roof?"  
>Cat sniffled slightly.<p>

Jade sighed.  
>"You'll see when we get up there."<br>(She crossed her fingers  
>That it wouldn't be cloudy.)<p>

In a few minutes,  
>Cat was seated next to Jade<br>On top of the West family's  
>Giant house...<p>

And  
>While there weren't<br>As many stars in LA,  
>The view wasn't bad.<p>

"Jade, it's so pretty...  
>Why don't we ever<br>Hang out up here?"

Jade shrugged.  
>"I used to come up here a lot...<br>When my parents fought,  
>During the divorce,<br>When Rachel and Dad got married...  
>I used to try and look for the constellations,<br>Before I realized  
>You can't see them too well up here.<br>I don't have any good memories  
>Attached to this house,<br>Including the roof...  
>It kinda reminds me<br>Of everything that went wrong since..."  
>She broke off.<br>"Still, though,  
>I though you'd like it."<p>

Cat nodded  
>And they just sat for a moment<br>Looking up at the sky  
>When she suddenly squealed,<br>"Look, Jade-  
>Fireflies!"<p>

She pointed up  
>And there they were.<p>

"Try and catch one."

Cat stood shakily  
>(Thank God the roof was flat)<br>And reached out.  
>One practically flew<br>Right into her palm  
>And she closed her fist around it.<br>She turned back to Jade,  
>Smiling.<p>

"I've always loved these," Cat sighed happily.

"Same,"  
>Jade half-grinned in spite of herself.<br>"And now,  
>You can do the best part-<br>Open your hand  
>And set it free."<p> 


End file.
